Heartbeat
by KatBauer
Summary: He has found her fast asleep on the couch at least three times already, always hugging her tablet to her chest while the soft sound of his heartbeat echoes in the otherwise silent room. [Part 1 of the All I've Ever Needed series]


Skye tosses and turns in her bed, kicks the covers off and rolls onto her stomach, burying her face in her pillow. But there's no use. She won't be getting any sleep tonight, and she knows it.

She gets up with a frustrated huff and grabs her tablet from the nightstand, quietly making her way down to the common area, where she plops down on the couch.

Tablet in hand, she swipes the screen aimlessly until she finds what she's looking for and taps on an icon, opening a folder and pulling up a file with the latest intel they have managed to gather from their recent ops.

If she's not going to sleep tonight, then she may as well get some work done.

By the time she's gone through all the files and she's caught up with her reading, it's already three in the morning and the feeling of restlessness has not gone away. In fact, it's starting to get worse.

She shifts, slightly uncomfortable, and looks around the barely lit place. The shadows lurking in the corners don't scare her, it's the almost deafening silence what makes her feel uneasy. So used to the constant buzz of the BUS' engines, even though it's been months, she still finds the stillness of the Playground somewhat eerie.

She turns her eyes back to the tablet and her brow furrows when she spots the tiny icon on the left corner of the screen. The one she's been carefully avoiding for the past few days.

The one that access the data that Ward's tracking bracelet emits.

She knows what she will see.

Exact location and vitals.

His heartbeat.

She squeezes her eyes shut while, once again, her mind and her heart are at war, wreaking havoc on her feelings.

It's not like she doesn't know where he is. Second corridor on the right, third door. The one with the black paint scratched around the knob. The only door in the entire base that doesn't have a lock on it.

She curls up in a tight ball on the couch, feet tucked under the cushions to keep herself warm, and sets the tablet down next to her head. She stares at the screen until it fades to black, and with a sigh, she finally makes up her mind.

She unlocks it and taps on the icon, swallowing down the sudden lump of emotion that constricts her throat when the screen shows her a miniaturized map of the base and a blinking blue dot, signaling Ward's current location.

And sure enough, right below the map, there's the graphic that monitors his heart rate, the peaked waves going up and down at a steady rhythm, and she knows he's not sleeping.

Well, at least she's not the only one.

She hesitates for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip, and then turns on the volume, just loud enough for only her to hear. And when the soft sound of his heartbeat fills her ears, it takes all of her strength not to break down right then and there.

She clutches the tablet tightly against her chest and, taking a deep breath, she focuses on the sound coming from it, slowly beginning to relax as she allows it to lull her to sleep.

She wakes up the following morning to the sound of clattering dishes coming from the kitchen area, and she realizes that she's no longer alone.

She yawns, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and suddenly stiffens.

The tablet is gone, but there's a blanket wrapped around her body and a pillow tucked under her head. Two things that she's sure were not there when she passed out.

But the smell of fresh coffee hits her then, giving her senses a much needed jolt to awaken them, and a steaming mug seems to materialize out of nowhere, right in front of her.

When she lifts her head, her eyes meet Ward's for a brief second before he averts his gaze, cocking his head in the direction of the small table where, she notices, her tablet now is.

"You were about to drop it," he says, quiet and apologetic. "I turned it off."

She takes the mug from him and mutters a quiet "thanks," but just as she opens her mouth to add something more, he turns around and leaves.

And if he has realized that last night she fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat, he doesn't bring it up.

But the thing is, it just keeps happening.

He has found her fast asleep on the couch at least three times already, always hugging her tablet to her chest while the soft sound of his heartbeat echoes in the otherwise silent room.

And all three times she's woken up with a blanket draped over her body and a mug of hot coffee waiting for her.

And he never, not once, mentions it.

Until one night, he walks in on her while she has yet to fall asleep.

"What are you doing?" he asks before he can stop himself.

"I'm taking a nap," she answers, even though it's well past midnight and even though they both know that's not what he meant.

He stares at her with confusion but doesn't press her for any explanations, choosing to simply give a nod of his head in acknowledgement, instead.

"Okay, fine," Skye blurts out when the silence between them has stretched for far too long. "I can't sleep, and this is the only thing that helps."

"My heartbeat?" he asks.

"_You_. Knowing that you're here, alive."

He purses his lips and says nothing, because really, what is he even supposed to answer to something like that? And he knows that the words that are bubbling up inside him are not words she would want to hear.

"I know," Skye says, misunderstanding his prolonged silence. "I'm pathetic."

"No, you're not," he says, adamant. "If I can help- Even if it's just like this- It's okay." He gives her one last longing look that pierces right through her heart, and then turns around to leave.

"Grant," she calls. And he stops dead on his tracks.

"You can stay," she says, and then pauses. "If you want."

When he remains rooted to the spot for a long moment, Skye mumbles a defeated "Alright, then," and closes her eyes, willing herself to just fall asleep.

But she opens them again a minute later after she hears him move across the room, and she finds him sitting on the floor, his back resting against the couch.

"Grant," she says softly.

"I'm staying."

"I meant with me."

He turns around to look at her, and watches in bewilderment as she scoots back on the couch to make room for him.

"Please," she says when he still hasn't moved.

And he finally does. He lies down next to her, and Skye wastes no time draping herself over him, one leg tucked between his and her ear pressed against his heart.

"Better?" he asks after a while.

"Much better," she murmurs as she finally, _finally_ drifts off to sleep.


End file.
